I’m fuming after my National Lottery winnings went missing – I’m stuck in limbo and everyone’s fobbing me off
A MUM has been left fuming after she claims her lottery winnings went missing, leaving her in limbo.
Gemma Murray plays the lottery for her and her mum every month and struck lucky in October, but says she has been left “out of pocket” after her winnings never arrived.
Gemma, from Kirkby, Merseyside, said that her mum won £30 on one draw and that the pair were told they would receive the winnings by November 2, but are yet to see any money.
She told the Liverpool Echo: “I’ve spoken to the lottery and they said the bank could trace it but the bank can’t find any trace through any of my statements and National Lottery keep fobbing me off.
“They told me last Friday it must be there but the bank has no evidence of it.”
The National Lottery told the outlet that the money had been placed in Gemma’s account and that this had been confirmed by the company that handles the organisation’s debit card transactions.
They added that to trace the payment, Gemma’s bank would have to contact them in writing.
However, her bank have said they cannot do this.
Furious Gemma continued: “It’s been an absolute nightmare, we’ve been back and forth and I’m constantly calling them and they are palming me off.
“I must’ve called 100 times and I’m at the point now where it’s not even the money, it’s the principle.
“Imagine if it was £800…We’ve had no problems in the past but it’s doing my head in. I’ve had to give it my mum so now I’m out of pocket.
“My point I’m trying to make to them is surely they have a better way to deal with these issues.”
A spokesperson from National Lottery said that their customer care team will get in touch with Gemma.
They said: “In the very small number of cases that we see [like this], the funds are finally located at the bank’s end.”
Gemma isn’t the only one to lose out on lotto cash.
Some of the unluckiest jackpot winners have seen everything from lost tickets to payment problems shatter their dreams of raking in millions.
Loterry winnings can be claimed by contacting the National Lottery and having your ticket validated.
You can check your numbers on the National Lottery app or website, or by taking it into the shop where it was bought.
Once you have confirmed the winning numbers, call the National Lottery claim line on 0333 234 44 33.
If you have a complaint about the way your case has been handled, you can contact the National Lottery directly.
If it is still not resolved, you can make a complaint to the independent Gambling Commission.
Remember to gamble responsibly
A responsible gambler is someone who:
- Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
- Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
- Never chase their losses
- Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry, or depressed
- Gamcare – www.gamcare.org.uk
- Gamble Aware – www.begambleaware.org
For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or go to www.gamstop.co.uk to be excluded from all UK-regulated gambling websites.